Each year eg solutions plc, the back office optimisation software company and other supporters of Doornkop host a Christmas party for the children and this year the children went to Dude hall in Soweto – organised and supported by the eg South African team who raised the funds through a sponsored fun walk.

The children put on an amazing mini concert for the guests with all the different classes taking part in an activity. Lunch for the day was prepared by Digipos with the support of Samantha Phelps who sponsored the party packs and cup cakes, she was introduced to DNCC by eg’s Kay Moodley.

The day ended once all the children had received a Christmas present, kindly donated from the toy run organisation.

The money raised for this year’s Christmas Party totalled R8,775 and was raised partly by a run for fun as well as other donations from clients and members of staff at eg solutions.

We would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Charity to make this event possible as well as our own eg team who attended the event, they included Tony Cohn, Kay Moodley and Nols Mbele.

The Doornkop Needy Children Centre provides shelter, clothing, education and love to orphans and destitute children from the age of 0–5 years.  Currently around 160 children are in their care.

Find out more about the Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre and how you can get involved, and email ask@eguk.co.uk.

As an economically gloomy year draws to a close, income and profits in the UK financial services sector has fallen at record rates as the recession deepens and the credit crunch continues.  So what is next for Financial Services and what are the key business priorities and strategic objectives to turn things around?

As part of eg’s client events in 2011, Executives and Managers of back office operations across Financial Services organisations were asked to indicate what their key business priorities and strategic objectives would be in 2011/12?

Overwhelmingly, respondents, regardless of level selected the same three priorities:

• Customer service improvements
• Cutting operating costs/IT costs
• Preserving existing revenue streams

So with this in mind, do you think it will be possible to make further Customer Service improvements and cut costs?  The results also indicated that growth will be limited as companies work to preserve existing revenue streams.  These results indicate that recovery will be slow and reiterate the Bank of England view on the longer than expected recovery.

The Institute of Customer Services Customer Satisfaction results clearly show that service matters, as can be seen in these associated articles:

• UK Customer Satisfaction Index July 2011 – executive summary
• first direct and instilling a customer service DNA

Please let us know if you agree with the three key priorities or how yours differ from the ones highlighted above. The full choices of priorities were as follows:

• Customer service improvements
• Regulatory compliance
• Expense control
• Cutting operating costs/IT costs
• Revenue generation
• Increasing profit margins
• Reducing agent attrition
• Increasing sales
• Preserving existing revenue streams
• Regulation and security
• Product innovation

Organisations who participated in the survey were from a range of financial service organisations, varied in size and type of operation across the UK and South Africa.

Now in its ninth year, the eg operational excellence® awards, held recently at The Forest of Arden Hotel & Country Club, Meriden, Warwickshire recognises the achievements of eg’s clients both in the UK and overseas.

The awards showcase companies and teams which are transforming the experience of customers and employees and demonstrate how real-time work management, forecasting, strategic planning and operational excellence can make a positive difference to a company’s performance.

eg’s own export journey started in 2006 with the help of UK Trade & Investment through participation in the Passport to Export programme and the commissioning of several Overseas Market Introduction Services (OMIS). Since then, the company has set up a South African subsidiary and secured new clients in Norway.

eg now has its sights set on expanding into Asia and America. The number of international clients in attendance at the awards ceremony is testament to the success of eg’s international expansion strategy.

eg’s Founder and CEO, Elizabeth Gooch, said “Our awards recognise outstanding contributions made by individuals towards best practice use of the eg principles of operational management®

and the eg software suite.  Set against a backdrop of economic gloom our award entrants have once again shown what can be achieved, year after year”.

Rob Lawley UK Trade & Investment International Trade adviser said “The company has always been excellent to work with and I’m delighted they are doing so well. The awards is a fitting tribute to eg’s companies and highlights just how effective eg’s software can be. I look forward to helping them develop their overseas business in more countries.”

International winners were follows:

• Best Practice Manager (International) – Tracey Basson, Silica (pictured above)
• Best Newcomer Team Manager (International) – Nomsa Mthimunye, Metropolitan Health
• Best Practice Team Manager (International) – Seviours Nkomo, Silica
• Company & Team Awards Forecasting & Strategic Planning – KS/Oppgjør/Konsern/Uføre, DNB Livsforsikring

Tony Cohn, Kay Moodley, Wendy Jeavons, Nols Mbele from eg South Africa and Namsi, the Senior Carer at the crèche, will be participating in the event doing the 10km walk with the aim to raise enough funds to organise a great Christmas party for the children at DNCC.

Entrant numbers have arrived and training is underway.  We have already received donations from eg staff, colleagues, friends & family and client staff from Silica.

So open your hearts and wallets to support our great cause.  Let’s make this a great Christmas party for the DNCC children this year!!

To donate, any amounts big or small would be greatly appreciated, please call +44 (0) 1785 715772.

Photographs from last years event can be viewed here. If you would like to find out more about the Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre, click here or email ask@eguk.co.uk.

This week, Elizabeth Gooch, CEO of eg visited the crèche to deliver additional educational equipment. Despite the sun shining it was a chilly 8 degrees so the children were dressed up in their winter woollies, hats and scarves.

The under 2s enthusiastically mastered the art of painting with their innovative new painting devices (recycled roller ball deodorants) to avoid paint splashing everywhere. The 3-4 age group were seated closely around tables painting and were equally as enthralled in their works of art, while others looked on patiently, eagerly awaiting their turn. The cold winter weather causes a problem for the centre, there is limited space indoors and typically there would be extra tables outside for the children to use.

The Grade R’s (aged 5, ready to go to school) showed off their understanding of letters, colours and numbers. They were able to recite the alphabet, trace the shapes of letters and numbers, count to 10 and show how many objects and colours represented each number.

Elizabeth delivered the learning materials donated from recent fund raising (£300). This included building blocks, skipping ropes, balls, educational puzzles and toys for the babies.

The visit ended with tea and cake and the children singing a Christian church song for their guests.

Elizabeth Gooch commented “It was delightful to see how the children have developed since eg first became involved with the centre. They were hungry and under nourished now they are well fed, clothed and concentrating on their educational development. It’s a rewarding experience to witness how so little can achieve so much.”

Just £40 can provide food for one child for a year and £10 a month can provide one child’s food, clothing and school fees.  A little help can really go a long way, the Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre is always looking for new sponsors. If you would like to join us, make a donation or for more information please contact ask@eguk.co.uk.

“After reading about this subject in an article from iSixSigma magazine it got me thinking about why six sigma is so slow to deliver and methods that can be used to make it more quantifiable and sustainable.

Without day-to-day operations being under control, the benefits expounded by all other initiatives tend to be understated and gradually deteriorate/revert to what was and are hugely dependant on individuals in the process as opposed to properly defined and executed management roles.

Typically, excessive time may be spent trying to identify data/metrics that exist in disparate systems and then try to understand them in terms of indicators of potential problems.  Often, such data does not exist or is really difficult to gather and correctly contextualise.  Does this sound familiar?

What I have noticed is that in equipping Management with real-time operational intelligence coupled with operational management best practices, ensures optimal delivery of all initiatives that are applied in the operational environments.

I have written extensively on this topic and invite you to learn more about utilising good operations management and request the full paper – just complete the contact form below.  Email any questions, thoughts and experience to ask@eguk.co.za”

Follow us on twitter @ http://twitter.com/egsolutions

Join our linked in Operations Management group – http://linkd.in/cgVtz5

As a special treat eg, the back office optimisation company, visited the children to deliver Easter gifts.

Wendy Jeavons, Managing Director of eg in South Africa, said:  “The children were delighted with the Easter Eggs and this was made possible as a result of the recent fundraising and generous donations from staff and clients.  The eggs were eaten quickly by the children to avoid melting in the hot temperatures!

As part of the ongoing development of the crèche, plans to improve the facilities continues.  Recent training of the Doornkop carers has certainly paid off and inspired new thinking which has enhanced the day to day running and development of the crèche.  Pictured below are carers who manage the crèche on a daily basis.

Fundraising continues and eg’s CEO, Elizabeth Gooch has recently raised over £1000 which will go directly to improve the facilities and further enhance the educational programme for the 159 children at the crèche.

eg would like to thank everyone who has supported Doornkop over the last year.

The Doornkop Needy Children Centre provides shelter, clothing, education and love to orphans and destitute children from the age of 0–5 years.  Currently around 160 children are in their care.  eg decided to support Doornkop after being introduced to their work by the CEO of weekly South African newsletter ‘South Africa – The Good News’ and has since pledged to support the charity in their short and long term objectives.

Photographs from the creche can be viewed here. If you would like to find out more about the Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre, click here or email ask@eguk.co.uk.

Doornkop carers left to right: Violet, Paulin and Alice

eg solutions plc (“eg or “the Company”; LSE-AIM: EGS), the back office optimisation software company, announces that it has won a significant new contract from a leading provider of employee benefit, health, investment and risk solutions, headquartered in South Africa.

The contract, worth approximately £460,000 over 10 months, is for eg’s software (‘eg operational intelligence^®‘) and services. The client will use the Company’s software to provide consistent operational management information to improve its management of strategically important sales and product development activities for pension administration.

Elizabeth Gooch, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“I am delighted that we have won this contract. This is a new client, which is an organisation with 2,000 employees where we have the opportunity to develop a long-term relationship.  This success validates our decision to invest in South Africa where we believe there is further future growth potential for the Company.”

END

CONTACTS

About eg solutions plc

eg solutions plc is a global operations management software company. Our software provides historic, real-time and predictive Operational MI. When implemented with our training programme for managers and team leaders to use this intelligence, we guarantee improvements in operational results in short timescales.

The Company, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (‘AIM’) of the London Stock Exchange, is committed to customer satisfaction and the ongoing development of its operations management solutions.

After last years successful Christmas outing to the zoo, the 140 children and babies cared for at the crèche went on an outing to Rietvlei Farm.  Care givers, crèche sponsors, including eg staff and local volunteers, assisted to make sure a good time was had by all.

It is important not only to provide the necessary shelter, clothing and love to the children at The Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre, but as part of their education to allow them to experience things more fortunate children take for granted.  For many, the trip to the farm was a rare occasion to leave their hometown of Soweto and see live animals.

As part of the outing the children had a tour around the farm and saw ducks, hens, chickens, guinea pigs and rabbits and goats roaming freely.  The children had fun chasing the ingulube (Zulu for pigs) until the pigs started to chase them!

The children had worked up an appetite on the tour and had an outdoor picnic of HUGE Boerewors sausage rolls and drinks under the gazebos that had been provided to keep everyone out of the rain shower.

After an exhausting day for some of the younger ones, the babies had an afternoon nap whilst the older children, (who graduate from DNCC this year), danced for the sponsors and delivered a speech in their graduation cloaks to thank them.

Wendy Jeavons, Managing Director of eg South Africa, said “As part of the generous client and staff donations and fundraising that eg has done this year we were able to provide coaches for getting all 140 children to and from the farm and cover the entrance fee.  The support we have is truly wonderful and to see the children in awe of the animals was fantastic”.

Gifts of stationery starter packs for each child were kindly donated from BIC South Africa and included pencil crayons, felt tip pens, pencils and erasers.  Also donated through South Africa’s Gauteng Bikers Toy Run event were 150 teddies.  The motorcycle charity helps collect and distribute donations for underprivileged children.  The charity aims to give something back to destitute young South Africans.

eg solutions would like to thank everyone who has supported Doornkop over the last year.

Take a look at the photographs from the event below. You can also find out more about The Doornkop Needy Children’s Centre, or email ask@eguk.co.uk.

12►

eg was first accredited in 2009 as an endorsed training provider for the South African market by South Africa’s leading awarding body for training and national qualifications in the banking industry.

As part of the assessment process rigorous auditing takes place to review the Companies quality management, marketing, financial management, health & safety, resource management, staff selection, appraisal and development practices.

Wendy Jeavons, Managing Director at eg South Africa, commented “BANKSETA are highly respected in the banking sector in South Africa and it is testament to our strong processes and good practices that we have once again been able to maintain our endorsement as a training provider for the South African market.”

BANKSETA supports transformation and people development through partnerships to enable stakeholders to advance the national and global position of the broader banking and microfinance industry. All Managers and Team Leaders who successfully complete eg’s operational management training programme are thereby provided with the recognition from a leading professional awarding body.

For more information email ask@egsa.co.za